Rinse
by ems2091
Summary: One shot partner to Erased, Haley's POV


**Hey everyone! I'm done with school and was bored so decided to write a partner piece to my one shot **_**Erased**_**. I thought that Haley's POV would be interesting as well as Nathan's. If you haven't read **_**Erased**_** I suggest you do, just so you're not totally lost in space on this one! I have to be honest, I'm not totally in love with this one shot. I just don't think it's one of my best. Anyway, thank you to all you lovely people who continue to read my writing even though I suck at updating consistently!**

**The title comes from Vanessa Carlton's **_**Rinse**_** (totally great song, check it out if you haven't already). When you get to Ryan Baker, think Chris Evans.**

**I own nothing except an abnormal amount of shoes.**

**232323232323**

Haley could feel his eyes on her, burning holes in her back. How dare he show up in her town after all these years? She was happy, settled, and felt more complete now than she ever had in her life. Feeling his eyes on her, transported Haley back to some of the most devastating times in her life.

**2323232323**

_Pink. The two tiny lines represented everything Haley had ever wanted; a family of her own. However, today, at Haley's young age of 18, she was less certain that this was a good thing. She and Nathan had only recently gotten back together and her world had only just settled back down after the shooting and losing Keith. Despite Haley's doubts and fears, this baby was coming and fast._

_**232323232323232323**_

_Her hands gripped the sides of the porcelain toilet as she once again emptied the contents of her stomach. How Nathan never noticed Haley rushing to the bathroom at least four times a day because of morning sickness, she would never know._

'_**You have to tell him Haley,' **__she thought to herself. For once the nagging little voice in her mind was right. Lucas, Brooke, and Peyton all knew about the child that would be coming in just a few short months. Nathan was the only one still in the dark. _

_As much as Haley loved him, she was always hesitant to share things with her husband. After revealing the details of the tour, things hadn't gone so well for their relationship, to say the least. Ever since then, Haley had always internally debated what Nathan should be told and what should be kept to herself. Obviously, Nathan needed to be told about this, Haley was just nervous about how he would react. _

"_Haley!" She heard Nathan call for her from the kitchen._

_Haley wiped her mouth and quickly rinsed with mouth wash. She opened the door and was faced with Nathan, more excited than she had ever seen before._

"_What?" she asked curiously_

"_I'm going to Duke!" Nathan shouted. Haley could see the excitement, pride, and pure joy radiating from his very self._

"_I'm pregnant," She blurted. __**'Shit. Way to be smooth about it Haley,'**__ "I-It's not Brooke. It's me."_

"_Wh…… well how long have you known?" He had gone from elated to dumbstruck in 2.5 seconds flat._

"_A few weeks," Haley admitted hesitantly_

"_A few weeks?" He repeated, not believing his ears_

"_I'm sorry I didn't know how to tell you" Haley felt her throat closing up and tears pooling in her eyes; this isn't how it was supposed to go._

"_Oh" The quiet muttering of the small word had Haley fearing the worst._

"_Can you talk to me? Can you tell me what you're thinking?" Anything, Haley needed any indication of what was going on inside her husband's head._

"_Do you still want to go to Stanford?" He asked, almost breathless._

"_Wh- what?" Haley was shocked by the question._

"_Stanford. For college" He repeated as if she hadn't heard of the university._

"_Yeah. I mean of course I do but I don't…" Haley trailed off, beyond confusion. _

_His phone rang. He tried to hide it, but Haley could clearly see the caller i.d. marked __**'Rachel.'**_

"_I have to go" He said with expressionless eyes_

"_What do you…… Nathan, Nathan?..I'm pregnant. We're pregnant. Just tell me how you feel about that." Haley couldn't believe what was transpiring before her eyes. She had told her husband they were expecting a child, and he was walking out to see another girl._

"_I feel like you should've told me a few weeks ago. That's how I feel." His final words were cold and finite. The door slammed and Haley was left only with her tears._

_**2232323232323**_

_It had been hours and Nathan still hadn't returned. Haley was sitting on the couch staring blankly ahead waiting for any indication that her husband still cared. All her tears had been cried and that left Haley with silence. The silence triggered thoughts; thoughts of infidelity, thoughts of single motherhood, thoughts of the unknown. Despite Haley's ever-working mind, her tired eyes slowly drifted closed, leading way into a deep dreamless sleep._

_**23232323232323**_

_The next morning, Haley shot up off the couch and sprinted to the bathroom. Upon completing her new morning routine, Haley went to the bedroom in search of her husband. Haley's face was marred with confusion once she saw the bed, still neatly made from the day before. Walking slowly, she opened each and every drawer and the closet. All of Nathan's clothes had been removed and their luggage was gone. Haley raced out to the kitchen for any indication that her husband was still there or ever coming back. The 'wish dish' full of money was empty and no note was on the counter. __**Nathan had left her.**__ Before the tears had completely clouded her vision, Haley sent out a text to the three people she knew would come running._

_**Need you.**_

_**2323232323232323**_

_Seven months and fifteen hours later, Haley knew that whatever heartbreak and pain she had gone through with Nathan was all worth it. The blue bundle in her arms made the hole in her heart fill up once again with joy and love. This little baby boy that she had brought into the world with the help of her three best friends blinked up at her with quiet curiosity. Haley stared down at her son with wonder and awe; how could something so perfect and beautiful come from her? She looked up at the three supporters in the room._

"_He needs to know" She said quietly_

_Despite the anger, pain, and betrayal, Nathan needed to know he had a son. Haley motioned for Peyton to take the baby and grabbed the notepad and pen provided by the hospital. Scrawling hastily, she handed the note to Brooke with pleading eyes, while Lucas looked on with a somewhat angry gaze. Hesitantly, Brooke took the note and walked slowly out of the room. _

_Haley hoped she was doing the right thing._

_**232323232323**_

_A year later, Haley was a mother struggling to make ends meet while still attending college. Haley lived with Lucas and his new girlfriend, Lindsey, in an apartment just outside campus. Brooke and Peyton had kept their plans of moving to Los Angeles after graduation at Haley's insistence. They still called every Saturday to check in on their favorite Scott. James Lucas Scott, Jamie, was growing up so quickly and it shocked Haley how fast time had gone. Her life wasn't easy, but she wouldn't have traded it for anything. She had come to terms with the demise of her marriage to Nathan. If their relationship was truly meant to last forever, Haley would have been able to tell him anything, without hesitation, he wouldn't have cheated with Rachel, and, most importantly, they both would have been willing to work together, through any challenge thrown their way. _

_One night, while Haley was working her bartending job, one of the many she kept to keep her family financially afloat, a young man walked in and sat directly in front of her._

"_I need someone to talk to," he spoke bluntly_

"_Um, ok?" Haley responded, unsure of what this man wanted_

"_I've been looking for someone to talk to for quite a long time now, and when I walk around trying to get rid of these thoughts, I see you in this bar, and sometimes at the restaurant on 14__th__ street, and sometimes at the park with your son. I'm not stalking you, but you just seem really nice, and well, I saw you tonight and I really, really need someone to talk to. My name is Ryan Baker." _

_He extended his hand toward Haley in greeting._

_Haley was dumbfounded. This undeniably handsome man had seen her around town and chose her to share the feelings in his mind & heart with her. As weird as his introduction may have been, Haley was intrigued and, frankly, she was a nineteen-year old single mother; she needed a little excitement in her life. _

"_Haley James," she said while shaking his hand, "What seems to be troubling you?"_

_**2323232323232323**_

_Another year had past, and so much had changed for Haley. Not only was Jamie now walking and talking, she and Ryan had fallen for each other. Ever since that night in the bar, Ryan and Haley hadn't spent much time apart. Jamie absolutely adored him and Ryan treated Jamie as his own son. Haley couldn't have asked for more. _

_She smiled as Ryan sat on the couch next to her placing her feet in his lap._

"_He went out like a light," Ryan told her quietly_

_She giggled, "Who Jamie or Lucas?"_

_Ryan chuckled, "Both"_

_They laughed for a moment, then Ryan turned serious, "Listen, Hales, you know I love you, right?"_

"_Of course," Haley smiled, "I love you, too."_

_Ryan returned the smile, "From the start we've been completely honest with each other. You told me all about your marriage to Nathan, and I've told you everything about my past. I'm going to be brutally honest with you right now, and I don't know if you're going to like it."_

_Haley swallowed hard, but nodded for Ryan to continue._

"_The past few days I've been wondering whether you really are over Nathan or not. You never filed for divorce or separated, you just don't talk. I want a future with you Haley; you and Jamie. I want to marry you and I want to make more babies with you. I want us to be together forever. Forever may not be starting today, but I want to know that, when the time is right, we both will be ready and we don't have to cross any red tape. We shouldn't have to wait to get married until your divorce is settled, we should just be together, without any obstacles."_

_Haley stared at Ryan for a moment, "How did I ever get so lucky to find a man like you? I want all the same things you do, Ry. We're going to be married. We're going to have more children and we're going to be together for the rest of our lives. I was waiting to tell you this as a surprise, but, you know how I was missing for awhile yesterday?"_

_Ryan nodded, "You still haven't told me where you were. I was freakin' out woman!"_

_Haley laughed, "I was paying Nathan a visit. I had filed for divorce about three weeks after Jamie was born, I signed, but Nathan didn't. My life has been so hectic the past two years with school, rasing Jamie, and being with you, I forgot about it, until recently. I went to his apartment and waited for him to sign. I told him that I had found someone else, someone that was committed to me and Jamie and that I was so much happier without him."_

_Ryan pulled Haley so she was straddling his lap. "You have no idea how happy you make me, Haley James some day Baker,"_

_Haley laughed before leaning down & connecting their lips._

**23232323232323**

Haley smiled as she thought of the joy Ryan had brought into her life after Nathan had erased everything she knew to be true. A year after Haley had told him about her steps to remove herself from Nathan and her previous life, Ryan proposed and they were married quickly after. Even sooner after they were married, Ryan adopted Jamie and Haley found out she was pregnant. Maddelyn Grace Baker was a fiesty little girl, much like her Aunt Brooke. Haley's once shattered world was whole again. She was happy, had a beautiful family, and she had rinsed all traces of Nathan Scott from her life.


End file.
